


A Murder of Crows

by OrangePress



Category: Original Work
Genre: I'll add these later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 02:27:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19347667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangePress/pseuds/OrangePress
Summary: Death and despair. What's an old lady to do when her entire town is found dead? Why head to those brand new National Police in Washington obliviously! On a road trip of a lifetime, this old lady gives away so much knitted stuff.





	A Murder of Crows

Michigan  
It was raining. A slow gentle drizzle fell pitering and patterning along the roof tiles and paved sidewalks. A light fog was rising from the lake. A gentle sunrise slowly arose from beyond the hills lighting the sky and driving off the rain. Slowly piece by piece, the valley woke up. Unmilked cows cried and the cawing of birds soon filled the area. A perpetual buzzing sound could be faintly heard no matter where you were.  
It was noon, that the flies attacked the dead bodies. Buzzing, in thick warm droves and crawling into mouths and noses and clothing and back out. Millions of tiny feet, crawling and walking over greying skin. The large horseflies left bites everywhere they could get a hold of ripping and tearing at flesh. At clothing and at other animals.  
At three o’clock in the afternoon, Ms. Hops set a kettle to the fire. She had lived in this home all her life. Her father had built this house when the woods were young and small for her mother. She watched as one by one all of her sisters married and left their small house. She alone remained and after her father died leaving her alone, she had come to inherit the house.  
It wasn’t a large house. In fact it was rather on the small side. It only had three rooms made of red bricks. Her father had dug up the clay himself and dried them by sunlight and fire before setting them in the walls. It only had one door, the front door. It was heavy set and older than Ms. Halls. The door didn’t have an actual door knob but instead had a bar for when she wanted it closed and the door held itself open when it wasn’t.  
Ms. Hops, living in the silent household with its three rooms and no windows, was the only living person in the town by the date of June 14th.  
Ms. Hops hardly ever went into town. She went once a year to buy some more sugar and flour and to mail off that years christmas gifts to her nieces and nephews. She went in october to attend the school auction to buy that years worth of yarn and fabric and would sometimes bring some quilts to sell. It was also in october that she picked up the letters from her family. On the most part though, Ms. Hops mainly lived on her own.  
She had used to have chickens which lived in a coop set in a tree to stop snakes from getting in. Now crows lived there. The woods abounded with mushrooms but on the most part she lived off of her small garden full of tomatoes and squash and cabbage. She kept a few flowers outside the door that her nephews had sent her and some wind chimes that her nieces sent.  
To occupy her time, she knitted and sewed and took care of the crows. She would keep track of the ones that lived there and feed them. She knew them all by name but there were only five year round so it wasn’t that hard. Sometimes, the crows would bring her things they thought she would like. She would pretend to like them all but would not quite know what to do with the bones they gave her. So she put them in her parents old bedroom.  
It was several months later that Ms. Hops headed in for the yearly school auction. She counted out her dimes and bills and packed up her older blankets. Then she handed smaller pieces for the crows to carry. She packed her purse that her youngest nephew had sent her with crow treats and left.  
It was a beautiful day. And the weather was perfect for walking. Clear skies except for the occasional cloud. The trees were laden with apples and the stream was cheerfully burbling. Ms. Hops cheerfully walked down the mountain to the small town that lay at the bottom. She wasn’t that high up but it would take her till noon to reach the town. It was six miles away.  
Ms. Hops would have been a sight to see. She carried numerous blankets on her back and was being followed by about thirty crows. Most of which were carrying tiny crochet flowers and animals. There were a couple of foxes and a few cows inside the fences.  
Ms. Hops reached the town at noon and made a beeline for the school. The crows were excited. The children frequently brought them treats while they were there. The school was locked and smells really foul.  
Ms. Hops assumed it was some new machines they were using and left for the store. Ms. Hops assumed she had arrived early. The crows followed like always. Every few minutes, she would stop and call one of them to her and give it a treat.  
It was at the store that she went in and saw dust and cobwebs and a truly vile smell. A snake hissed at her before slithering off. Ms. Hops headed off to look for William, the man who ran the store. She found him rotting in his bed with his wife.  
Ms. Hops screamed and back pedaled out of the store. The crows were distressed. Ms. Hops began crying. Richard cawed and butted his head under her hand. She stroked him while crying. Nicholas put down the crocheted flower and climbed to her shoulder to begin preening her hair. Patrick climbed into her lap and melted there. Sarah climbed onto the other shoulder and began cawing sarcastically. Helen started grabbing all the items the other crows had dropped and put them in her purse. Then she began flying around looking for what distressed Ms. Hops.  
It was with the combined efforts of the crows and time that calmed Ms. Hops. Ms. Hops saw no choice but to go to the police station and tell them. She took a moment to gather herself before heading down to the station.  
The receptionist was rotting leaning against the counter. Ms. Hops left she spent hours checking houses along the windy small houses. There was only two hundred and it took well into the night to finish searching.  
Ms. Hops spent that night on someones sofa while the year round crows slept in the linen closet. In the morning, she took an hour to use their pantry to fill up her crows treats and herself on breakfast before hiking up her skirts and blankets and heading for the highway.  
As they walked further down the road instead of home, Helen let out an inquisitive caw. Ms. Hops handed her a treat before talking, “If there’s every trouble you go to the police but I don’t know what to do if the police are dead. So we’ll head to Washington and tell the national police. The Forensics Bureau of Investigation if I remember correctly.”  
Helen tucked a piece of hair behind Ms. Hops ear before hopping onto one of her quilts and relaxing. The day slowly passed. Ms. Hops had to frequently soothe the crows with treats and pets. The sun slowly rose and set, arching a slow half-circle in the sky. The trees slowly became smaller and the hills flatter.  
Ms. Hops stopped on top of the last hill to eat lunch. She cracked open a jar of jam and ate it shared amongst the crows and herself. She washed it down with half a jar of pickles. Then she continued onwards.  
The apple trees slowly disappeared to be replaced with maples and oaks and birches. Their brilliant colors lit up her walk and she stopped under a tree to sleep. It took several treats to calm the crows down and to settle to sleep.  
In the morning, she ran hands through messy hair. Then she finished off the pickles for breakfast and had crackers for the crows. That day she reached the highway. She started walking eastwards down the highway. Several hours later an old large pickup truck pocked with rust and covered in mud stopped by.  
A young man with a straw hat and a pitbull in the back seats. “You need a ride, miss?”  
Ms. Hops looked startled before nodding. “Would you mind terribly good sir? Me and the crows are trying to get to Washington.”  
The man looked slightly unsure. “Of course, miss. Climb in and as long as they don’t bother Fang they can ride. I can’t take you all the way but I can take you some of the way. At least a couple states.”  
Ms. Hops climbed in. “Thank you dearly. The crows and I won’t deter you to much now would we?”  
The young man was cute with a blond scruffy hair and freckles and brown eyes. He reminded Ms. Hops of her grand nephew if the young man was twenty years older. The dog looked exactly like the picture of a pitbull her nephew had sent. It had blue eyes and flippy flaps of skin of mainly white with patches of brown. Patrick took the chance to melt into her lap. While Ms. Hops put the other birds in the back with her blankets. The young man smiled showing dimples on his cheeks. “Not at all. You have crows?”  
Ms. Hops absentmindedly petted Patrick and pulled Helen into the car. She pointed where Helen was and clicked her tongue. Sarah, Nicholas, and Richard flew in. Then she carefully sat in the chair and closed the door. “Yes, these are my darlings. Sarah is the sassy one with white under her wings. Nicholas is the one that’s completely black and likes being petted. Richard likes to comb my hair and has white tufts around his feet. Patrick is the one in my lap. Helen is also completely black and she is constantly troublesome.”  
Helen cawed loudly at Ms. Hops. “Don’t take that tone with me.”  
The young man, Jared flinched. Helen cawed again in a sarcastic tone. Ms. Potts shot Helen a look. “Young lady.”  
Helen cawed in a sad tone. Ms. Hops nodded. “It’s alright. And you are too troublesome.”  
Helen cawed loudly. Ms. Potts shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I was troublesome when I was a child.”  
Helen called again before settling more comfortably onto the backseat.. Ms. Hops nodded again. “You’ll be alright.”  
The other crows fluttered around in the back seat. Ms. Hops hushed them. The dog growled before barking at them. Helen cawed aggressively. Jared turned around. “Down Fang!”  
The dog laid down on the floor but barked at Sarah who had gotten too close. Sarah hopped backwards. It took a few minutes to get the animals settled before Jared rolled up the windows and started driving.  
Ms. Hops started knitting while Jared drove. The crows were mainly silent but Ms. Hops had to keep shushing them. Jared stopped several hours later when it was starting to get dark. He pulled into a small town just off the freeway and into a gas station. Ms. Hops kept knitting her nearly complete sweater.  
When the truck was full of gas Jared got back inside and began rubbing at his hands in a desperate attempt to get warm. Ms. Hops handed him the knitted sweater. “Here dear. It’s not a lot but it'll keep you warm and I even added one of those hoods that my nieces told me is all the rage.”  
Jared looked startled. “All the rage?”  
Ms. Hops pushed the sweater over to him. “Yes it's like one of those hoodies my nieces like so much. I hope it's alright. It's not much but I wanted to thank you for driving me.”  
Jared looked ready to cry he took the purple and orange sweater and pulled it on. It smelled like soap and flowers. “You didn't have to-”  
Ms. Hops clucked her tone. “Nonsense, now let's see how it fits on you.¨  
Jared smiled brightly despite the tears. “It's perfect.”  
Ms. Hops tugged at the sleeves making sure they were long enough. ̈ ̈Do you like it?¨  
Jared smiled even wider. ¨It's the best gift ever.¨  
Ms. Hops seemed to beam before tugging on one of Jared ́s hands. ¨I´ll have to make you some gloves. Or would you prefer mittens?¨  
Jared was grinning like a fool and started laughing. Fang growled a bit before joining in and howling. Ms. Hops seemed in shock for a moment before she started tittering and giggling and then full out laughing. Patrick mimicked a cat purring while Helen full out cawed loudly as possible. The others soon followed.  
With all the racket was it any surprise that the police showed up. Jared looked terrified when a police officer knocked on the window. Fang started growling. Ms. Hops clucked her tongue and pointed at the floor by her feet. Richard pulled a strand of hair behind Ms. Hops ear before continuing to land at the floor. Patrick made a high pitched inquisitive caw. Ms. Hops clicked her tongue and gestured at the floor by her feet. Patrick regretfully left her lap and landed on the ground before tucking himself under the seat. Sarah began picking up the crocheted items that Ms. Hops had dropped onto the floor along the way. Helen landed on the dashboard.  
Ms. Hops raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Helen went to the floor. Nicholas began helping Sarah.  
The police officer looked utterly mystified as this scene transformed before his eyes and then Jared rolled down the window. ̈Yes Officer?¨  
The officer stared at Jared for a while. ¨This your car?¨  
Jared nodded. ̈Yes, sir.¨  
The officer nodded. ̈Right, do you know how fast you were going?¨  
Jared stared at him. Ms. Hops frowned. ̈Mister Officer, we haven't moved since a quarter till the hour. It's nearly a quarter after the hour.¨  
The officer nodded. ̈Right. Well you all have a good halloween.¨  
Ms. Hops reached past Jared, who flinched, and handed the officer a scarf with light blue pumpkins on a pink background with the word police on both ends in yellow. The officer took it looking baffled. ̈ ̈Stay warm now dear.¨  
The officer gingerly held the scarf before jerkingly nodding and walking back to the police car. An older police got out and just sighed before walking over to the car. ¨I apologize for the inconvenience but you ́re going to have to come with me to the station.¨  
Fang barked at the new person. Jared took in a breath. ̈ ̈What for, sir?¨  
He gently whacked the hood of the car and it died. ̈ ̈Because this thing is a deathtrap.¨  
Jared glared at the older police officer. Ms. Hops looked worried. ¨Oh, dear. What about the animals?¨  
Jared glanced at Ms. Hops before turning to calm Fang down. The police officer pulled out a notebook. ̈ ̈What animals do you have?¨  
Jared remained glaring at the older police officer. ̈ ̈None of your business.¨  
The older police officer began writing. ̈ ̈Right just put them in the back of the car and we ́ll take you to the station.¨  
Jared got out of the car so Ms. Hops followed. She opened her food bag and clicked her tongue. The crows cawed at her in complaint and as soon as they were in the police car she opened it up and placed them on the ground.  
The younger police officer looked baffled again but he did look mildly warmer with a scarf on. It was two blocks later that they stopped at a vet. ̈ ̈Right the animals can stay here until we're done.¨  
Jared began sniffling as soon as he heard Fang whimpering. The vets looked utterly baffled at the crows. So Ms. Hops put them into one of the empty kernels gave them a ball of yarn to play with and a handful of treats before heading back to the car and then down another two blocks to the police station.  
Ms. Hops continued crocheting a blanket but this time she added in a delightful pink hearts to compliment the orange blanket. At the police station the officers spent a half hour doing paperwork. Then they had the chance to go before a judge.  
The judge brought them in. ¨You are here for a noise complaint from Mr. Henshaw. How do you plead?¨  
All of a sudden there was a large meowing sound. The judge looked baffled. Ms. Hops pulled her blanket straight to reveal Patrick. Ms. Hops began scolding him.  
̈ ̈Young man, what do you think you ́re doing?¨  
Patrick blinked and looked left and right. ¨Yes I ́m talking to you. You ́re supposed to be at the vet office with the other birds.¨  
Patrick meowed before cawing and then purring, Ms. Hops clucked her tongue. “I’m fine and now you’re in trouble.”  
Patrick made a sad meowing sound. Ms. Hops shook her head and pet him. “Alright but you need to be quiet until I put you with all the others.”  
The Judge coughed lightly. “Ah, Ms. Hops, who might our guest be?”  
Ms. Hops clicked at Patrick and tapped the table. Patrick croaked at her before hopping up. The Judge started with a baffled look on his face. “Why is there a bird in my courtroom?”  
Patrik meowed at him. The Judge looked utterly baffled and Jared began laughing. Mr. Henshaw began laughing too. The Judge poked Patrick with his pen and Patrick hopped back cawing indigiantly. Patrick ruffled his feathers before feigning indifference.


End file.
